A man wearing glasses and a blue baseball cap with white text and graphics, working with a table saw in a furniture workshop. The background is blurred with various tools.

About Bryan - A furniture maker with an engineer’s eye

Motor City Woodshop Studio is the Clarkston, Michigan workshop of designer and maker Bryan Whitfield.

Bryan brings together two ways of thinking that rarely meet in one furniture studio. He is drawn to the warmth, individuality and expressive possibilities of wood. He also approaches every piece with the discipline of a licensed mechanical engineer and more than 45 years of construction and engineering experience.

That combination shapes the work. The proportions must feel right. The grain should contribute to the design. Joinery and hidden supports must account for real loads, daily use and seasonal wood movement. Details that may never be noticed still deserve to be resolved correctly.

Bryan studied Building Construction Technology at Ferris State University and Mechanical Engineering at Lawrence Technological University. His professional career has included residential and industrial construction and the engineering of complex automotive manufacturing facilities.

Motor City Woodshop Studio gives him the opportunity to apply that experience on a more personal scale. Here, the work begins with one client, one space and one piece that needs to be right.

Clients work directly with Bryan throughout the process. He listens carefully, explains the reasoning behind recommendations and remains personally responsible for the design, construction and delivery of each commission.

The goal is not simply to make impressive furniture - It is to help you create a home that feels considered, personal and lasting.

Bryan inlaying steel stiffeners into back of a slab table top.

Bryan inlaying steel stiffeners in the back of a solid walnut tabletop at Motor City Woodshop Studio

A man in work clothes and a that uses a power tool to flatten a white oak tabletop in a furniture workshop.

Bryan flattening a table top at Motor City Woodshop Studio

Inside a robotic spray booth with robotic arms covered in orange and green protective covers, and a central track for moving robotic equipment. The environment is enclosed with windows and white walls, and the floor is made of black grated metal.
Industrial paint mixing room with large metal tanks connected by pipes and valves, illuminated ceiling lights, and various control panels.

Bryan has decades of engineering and construction experience inform every decision, including structure, joinery, material movement and long-term performance. Stellantis paint shop mix room (formerly Chrysler Corporation).

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